President Barack Obama acknowledged the military situation on the ground in Libya had reached stalemate three weeks into the war, but said he still expects the NATO allies to force Gaddafi from power eventually.

More than a hundred government rockets crashed into Misrata on April 15, second day of heavy bombardment of the city, the lone major bastion of the rebels in the western part of Libya. Rebels said government forces had reached the city's center.

A rebel spokesman in Misrata said on April 15 pro-Gaddafi forces shelled both the center and the road leading to the port, a lifeline for trapped civilians and the main entry point for international aid agencies, killing eight people.

A government reconnaissance helicopter had also flown over the city, he said, despite a no-fly zone mandated by the UN Security Council and enforced by NATO warplanes.